LONDON—Refugees who have been refused stay in the U.K. are flown out secretly in planeloads accompanied by escorts pressured by pay incentives to get the job done quickly, according to an investigation in The Independent newspaper.
The U.K. Border Agency (UKBA) is using chartered flights more frequently and using excessive force to restrain detainees appears to be commonplace, according to the details published on Monday.
“Sadly it’s not news to Amnesty,” the U.K.’s Amnesty International website says. “Back in 2005, our report on the detention of asylum seekers revealed that several people we interviewed, whose asylum claims had been rejected, complained of being assaulted while being escorted to the airport to be forcibly removed from the U.K.”
The Independent cites a document that lists the types of restraints that can be used, which include “rigid bar,” “chain link,” and “double-locked” handcuffs, as well as leg restraints. The paper named G4S as one company providing escorts on the planes to take the failed asylum seekers back. G4S is described on their website as the “world’s leading international security solutions group.”
According to The Independent, G4S declined to elaborate on what the techniques involved, but a spokesperson said they were all approved by the Prison Service.
Liz Jones, a spokeswoman for G4S, is quoted as saying that escorts receive seven weeks’ training and specialist instruction in the use of “control and restraint” techniques. Also, that previous criminal convictions do not preclude someone from working for the company. The company considers the circumstances and how long ago the conviction was.
“We look for people that can talk, people that can calm situations down, general people skills,” she said, and added that they employ people from all walks of life.
British Airways (BA), BMI, and Virgin Atlantic have transported failed asylum seekers and their escorts on normal commercial flights in the past six months, according to the paper.
A spokesman for BA said, “We are legally obliged to remove ‘deportees’ from the U.K. if instructed by the Home Office to do so. If we refuse to comply, we would be in contravention of paragraph 10 (i) of Schedule 2 of the 1971 Immigration Act.”
A spokesman for Air Baltic said, “In general, we are nondiscriminatory. We are a means of transport so we don’t decide who can’t go on our planes unless they are acting in a specific way that poses safety risks.” He added, “We haven’t had issues with it before but when we sign a contract in future we might consider it in more detail.”
Many flights are jointly organized by European Union nations under the EU’s border agency, Frontex.
A total of 6,855 people were forcibly removed on commercial flights and chartered planes in the past year. The removals between 2005 and April 2010 cost almost $167 million.
The U.K. is being investigated by the United Nations after asylum seekers claimed they were beaten by their British escorts and Iraqi officials during a removal flight from the U.K. to Iraq on June 16 this year.
In 2005, the Institute of Race Relations, a London-based think tank, documented 11 deaths during removals conducted by European countries since 1991. In each case, the deportee suffocated while “control and restraint” methods were being used.
“Detainees who allege assault in the removals process call organizations for help daily—these calls represent just the ’tip of the iceberg' because most assault allegations only come to light if the detainee has family, friends, or visitors able to help them report the abuse,” says the Medical Justice Network website.
The U.K. Border Agency (UKBA) is using chartered flights more frequently and using excessive force to restrain detainees appears to be commonplace, according to the details published on Monday.
“Sadly it’s not news to Amnesty,” the U.K.’s Amnesty International website says. “Back in 2005, our report on the detention of asylum seekers revealed that several people we interviewed, whose asylum claims had been rejected, complained of being assaulted while being escorted to the airport to be forcibly removed from the U.K.”
The Independent cites a document that lists the types of restraints that can be used, which include “rigid bar,” “chain link,” and “double-locked” handcuffs, as well as leg restraints. The paper named G4S as one company providing escorts on the planes to take the failed asylum seekers back. G4S is described on their website as the “world’s leading international security solutions group.”
According to The Independent, G4S declined to elaborate on what the techniques involved, but a spokesperson said they were all approved by the Prison Service.
Liz Jones, a spokeswoman for G4S, is quoted as saying that escorts receive seven weeks’ training and specialist instruction in the use of “control and restraint” techniques. Also, that previous criminal convictions do not preclude someone from working for the company. The company considers the circumstances and how long ago the conviction was.
“We look for people that can talk, people that can calm situations down, general people skills,” she said, and added that they employ people from all walks of life.
British Airways (BA), BMI, and Virgin Atlantic have transported failed asylum seekers and their escorts on normal commercial flights in the past six months, according to the paper.
A spokesman for BA said, “We are legally obliged to remove ‘deportees’ from the U.K. if instructed by the Home Office to do so. If we refuse to comply, we would be in contravention of paragraph 10 (i) of Schedule 2 of the 1971 Immigration Act.”
A spokesman for Air Baltic said, “In general, we are nondiscriminatory. We are a means of transport so we don’t decide who can’t go on our planes unless they are acting in a specific way that poses safety risks.” He added, “We haven’t had issues with it before but when we sign a contract in future we might consider it in more detail.”
Many flights are jointly organized by European Union nations under the EU’s border agency, Frontex.
A total of 6,855 people were forcibly removed on commercial flights and chartered planes in the past year. The removals between 2005 and April 2010 cost almost $167 million.
The U.K. is being investigated by the United Nations after asylum seekers claimed they were beaten by their British escorts and Iraqi officials during a removal flight from the U.K. to Iraq on June 16 this year.
In 2005, the Institute of Race Relations, a London-based think tank, documented 11 deaths during removals conducted by European countries since 1991. In each case, the deportee suffocated while “control and restraint” methods were being used.
“Detainees who allege assault in the removals process call organizations for help daily—these calls represent just the ’tip of the iceberg' because most assault allegations only come to light if the detainee has family, friends, or visitors able to help them report the abuse,” says the Medical Justice Network website.
